Christmas: A Study Room Resource

Copyright

Copyright Victoria and Albert Museum

Christmas card, Anonymous

Christmas cardAnonymousBritain19th centuryMuseum no.unregistered

Holly is widely used in seasonal domestic decoration. For devout Christians, the red berries and sharp thorns were decorative devices as well as reminders of the Crucifixion. In the pagan tradition, holly was used to repel witches and evil spirits. From the 1840s onward, holly is often paired with mistletoe on greetings card designs. Before the advent of the Christmas card, it was commonly found on seasonal stationery and letterheads.